In the dense fog, a dilapidated bus slowly traveled along the endless road. Inside the bus, seven passengers—three women and four men—sat in silence, gazing out at the fog through the windows, each with a different expression: confusion, bewilderment, fear... Only their faces were pale as paper, as though they had just endured something terrifying.
The bus kept driving until it finally stopped in front of an ancient, decaying villa. The thick fog surrounded the villa, its dark and eerie exterior giving off a mysterious aura. Suddenly, the door of the bus opened, as if reminding the passengers inside—it was time to get off.
The seven of them slowly stepped out, casting a glance back. Each of them had a look of indescribable fear in their eyes. Because the driver, who should have been sitting in the front seat... was nowhere to be found. Yes, the bus had no driver.
As the last passenger stepped off, the door automatically closed, and the bus quietly set off again, gradually disappearing into the fog...
Standing outside the black villa, the seven exchanged glances, their expressions grim. "Let's go," said a thin man, finally speaking. He wore a pair of dark brown wooden glasses, his face carrying a rare calmness. "I think we have no other choice."
"Do we... really have to go inside?" A beautiful woman with golden earrings asked with a trembling voice. She was dressed lightly, clearly cold, and her arms were tightly wrapped around herself as she rubbed them for warmth. "What if it's... not safe inside?"
The others remained silent. At first, they thought this was just a prank, or perhaps a reality show set up by a TV crew. But when they realized there was no driver on the bus, fear quickly spread. Although they had once been firm materialists, what was happening before them was beyond reason!
"So, you want to walk into this fog?" Ning Qiushui took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. In reality, his heart was pounding. From receiving the mysterious letter to arriving here, it had taken him less than an hour. Yet, in that hour, his worldview had been shaken to its core!
"Have you forgotten the fat guy who jumped off the bus at the intersection?" When the woman mentioned the fat man, her eyes immediately flashed with intense fear, and her legs gave way, nearly causing her to fall.
At that time, there had been eight passengers on the bus. They had all unknowingly fallen asleep and mysteriously found themselves on this bus. The fat man had complained all the way, insisting that it was some prank or reality show, and that their phones had been swapped, with the driver hiding under the bus and the fog created by dry ice.
It wasn't until the bus stopped at an intersection that the fat man impatiently opened the window and jumped off, walking alone into the fog.
At the time, everything still seemed normal.
However, when they reached the next intersection, they saw something strange under the traffic lights. As the bus slowly approached, the passengers finally realized what it was—it was the bloody, flayed skin of the fat man! The skin had been completely removed, and the fat man's twisted, terrified expression looked like the immense fear he had experienced before death. Blood was dripping from the traffic light poles! This scene left the passengers stunned and horrified!
Some, not believing in the supernatural, hurriedly opened the window, and instantly, a nauseating stench of blood filled the bus...
Mentioning the fat man made everyone's faces grow even darker, and some began to gag.
"...Since no one dares to approach the fog, we have no choice but to enter this black villa," Ning Qiushui took a deep breath, trying to appear calm. In truth, he was just as uneasy. Who sent that mysterious letter? What message was it trying to convey to him? Strangely, when he saw the flayed skin under the traffic light or smelled the blood, his reaction wasn't as strong as the others'.
With Ning Qiushui leading the way, the others followed closely behind, pushing open the iron gate of the black villa and stepping into the garden. The surroundings were eerily silent, so quiet it was almost suffocating. They had to stay close to each other. The beautiful woman with the golden earrings felt someone lightly brushing against her, but she merely frowned and said nothing. Let them touch her—at least it was better than being skinned for no reason.
They reached the door of the villa, and Ning Qiushui knocked. Thud thud thud—
Soon, footsteps could be heard from inside. The others instinctively took a few steps back, their eyes fixed anxiously on the door.
Creek— The door slowly opened. To their surprise, standing at the door wasn't a terrifying monster, but a delicate, beautiful young girl who looked about fifteen or sixteen.
"Are you here?" the girl asked, her voice clear and crisp.
"Come in," she added. Then, everyone froze—this girl wasn't a girl at all, but a boy.The boy was incredibly handsome, but his voice was cold and distant, devoid of emotion.
As everyone watched Ning Qiushui follow the boy into the room, they exchanged uncertain glances, unsure whether they should follow.
"You better come in quickly..." At that moment, the boy's voice came from inside.
"The mist outside... it's very dangerous."
Mention of the mist reminded everyone of the fat man who had died gruesomely earlier, sending a chill through them. They rushed into the room, scrambling in fear.
The villa's hall was spacious and decorated in an ancient style. On the left side were neatly arranged bookshelves, and on the right, a wooden staircase led upstairs. In the center of the room were three large sofas, with a fire burning in a brazier.
Inside the room, four people were sitting around the brazier, staring vacantly at the flames, silent. The atmosphere grew more and more oppressive, and the coldness began to seep in.
After a moment of silence, Ning Qiushui finally spoke up: "Excuse me... where is this place?"
"Why are we here?"
"What's going on with the mist and the bus outside?"
But no one answered. Even the four people around the fire didn't look at him.
At this point, Liu Chengfeng, the man with the bushy beard standing behind Ning Qiushui, couldn't hold back anymore. "I'm asking you! Are you all mute?"
His voice echoed through the room, booming and painful to the ears.
Finally, the man in a suit, sitting across from Ning Qiushui, spoke: "I know you have many questions..."
"If you can survive and return from the first blood door, I'll answer all of your questions."
The moment the words left his mouth, a sense of foreboding spread through the crowd.
"Blood door? What's that?" Ning Qiushui suddenly thought of the mysterious woman's phone call earlier and couldn't help asking.
The man in the suit didn't look up. He just pointed towards the third floor of the villa. "You don't have much time left. The blood door will open in less than five minutes. When it does, you'll enter the terrifying world behind the door to complete the task."
"Once the task is complete, the bus will come to pick you up."
"If… we don't complete the task, what will happen?" asked a short, thin girl with twin ponytails, Yan Youping, in a weak voice.
The man in the suit slowly raised his head, his cold, emotionless eyes locking with Yan Youping's. She felt a shiver run through her.
"You will die."
"And it will be… a very tragic death."
When the others heard this, they felt weak all over. They wanted to believe it was a joke, but the man's serious expression wiped away any hope.
"Can… can we not go?" another young man with bleached blonde hair nervously asked, swallowing hard.
The man in the suit glanced at him. "You can."
"But… you'd better never sleep again."
The blonde man froze. "W-why?"
The man in the suit smiled coldly. "Because if you don't go through the blood door to complete the task, something will come after you from the other side."
"No matter where you hide, it will find you."
"And then…" The man didn't finish his sentence, but everyone already knew the grim outcome.
Ning Qiushui glanced at the third floor and finally asked, "Before we go in, do you have any last instructions?"
The man in the suit hesitated for a moment, then looked at Ning Qiushui. Seeing his calm demeanor, something like admiration flashed in his eyes.
"Instructions… yes."
"Although the world behind the blood door is full of danger, there is always more than one way out. As long as you find the right path, completing the task and surviving won't be difficult."
Ning Qiushui nodded. "Thank you."
Without saying another word, he turned and took the lead, heading upstairs.
Liu Chengfeng saw how determined Ning Qiushui was and, after a brief inner struggle, grit his teeth and followed him. "Damn, little bro… you've got guts!"
On the way up the stairs, Liu Chengfeng couldn't help but notice Ning Qiushui. It was hard not to. Whether it was discovering the fat man's skin or smelling the strong scent of blood, Ning Qiushui showed little to no reaction.
"Got guts?" Ning Qiushui chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Do you think we have a choice?"
Liu Chengfeng was much taller than Ning Qiushui, so even though he was a step lower, he was still only slightly shorter.
"Earlier, when you saw the fat man's skin, you didn't even bat an eye. Were you… a professional before?" he whispered.
"Professional at what?"
"A killer."
"You've been reading too many novels. In reality, there aren't so many killers."
"Uh…" Liu Chengfeng paused.
"I'm a doctor."
"Oh~ that makes sense. A forensic doctor?"
"Not quite, I'm a veterinarian."
Liu Chengfeng was speechless. The two continued their conversation as they reached the third floor.
Once they stepped onto the third floor, they stopped talking. The air was thick with the scent of blood mixed with the decay of rotting wood. There was nothing on the floor except for a bloodstained wooden door. The blood on the door formed characters:
[Take care of the bedridden elderly for five days]
"Take care of the elderly… Is this our task?" Ning Qiushui's gaze flickered as he read the blood-stained words.
One by one, the others followed him up and looked at the door. They froze in disbelief.
"Is… is it really this simple?" Wang Yuning, the woman with gold earrings, whispered in shock.
The group began murmuring amongst themselves when suddenly, they all stopped, as if sensing something, and turned to look at the door.
Creeeak—
Inside the door, something seemed to be pushing against it.
Soon, the door was slowly pushed open by a pair of pale hands.
As the bloodstained wooden door creaked open, everyone's vision blurred and went black, and they lost consciousness.
As for the reading, I'm unable to perform audio tasks. However, I can suggest reading the text with a dramatic tone, especially focusing on building suspense in the more tense moments!